In brief...: Busy chiefs missing out on holidays

Jul 11 2008

One in four over-stretched bosses are shelving holiday plans to stay in the office, according to research.

Asked why they were unable to take their full holiday entitlement, 34 per cent of managers blamed extensive workloads.

And of those who do manage to take a break, 39 per cent still regularly check work emails and 29 per cent phone in to pick up voicemails.

A further one in five argue that a holiday is a good time to "catch up on background reading", according to the poll by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI).

The study found that a third would rather exchange their holiday time for cash, although just 16 per cent of employers agree to this.

Jo Causon, of the CMI, said: "There is clearly a fear that out of sight means out of mind, but without a proper break, individual performance can suffer and employers will notice mistakes more than they will absence through holiday.

"Individuals need to recognise this and use holiday time to recharge their batteries."